Neon lamp for television



May17, 1932. F. w. ZONS NEON LAMP FOR TELEVISION Filed Nov 25, 1929 INEfi TTORNEY Passed Midi-17,1932

"UNITED STATES rnnnmrcx w. zone, or m 1:033, 11. :Y.

NEON mm roe rumors Application filed November 28, 1928. Serial No.406,605.

My invention relates to luminescent tubes and more particularly todevices of this type which are adaptable for use as television lamps andin sound reproduction in connec- 5 tion with motion pictures.

In the copending application of Zons and Albert, Ser1al No. 367,690,there is described and claimed a type of luminescent tube in i which adischarge tube of small diameter is enclosed within a largertubecontaining a quantity of neon, argon or other gas which becomesluminescent when a charge of electricity is passed through it. .In thetube mentioned the small enclosed discharge tube is 1 perforatedpermitting the gas contained in the large enclosing'reservoir tube freeaccess thereto; but when the current is passed between the electrodes,which are within the smaller tube, the luminescence is confined to thechannel of thesmaller tube.

The present invention employs someof the instrumentalities of theinvention of the aforesaid'application but applies them in,

such a manner as to utilize the quick conduction of the neon gas and thebrilliancy of the arc to the end that a very brilliant beam may bedirected ina desired direction. Y The invention will be more clearlyunderstood from the drawings in which; 7 ig. I represents the preferredform of the invention; and

Fig. II represents an alternative form. Referring now to Fig. I, 1 is anenvelope such as a glass bulb, 2 and 3are electrodes preferably of atype described and claimed in my copendin application Serial No.367,690. These electro es are insulated from each other by sleeves, 4and 5, made of silica, quartz, porcelain or other suitable insulatingmate- 40 rial. In Fig. I, these sleeves are broken away to show theelectrodes, 2 and 3, within them and it will be noted that the sleevesare much longer than their enclosed electrodes. It will also be observedthat the sleeve, 4, is somewhat shorter than the sleeve 5. Sleeve 4, is,however, surmounted by-an elbow member, 6,

' which may be of quartz, pyrex or the like,

cemented to it by the cement joint,-7. The elbow, 6, bends at ri htangles towards and preferably touching t e lip of sleeve, 5. Lead wires,8 and 9, sealed through a press 10, of a stem 11, as in an ordinaryincandescent lamp connected with an external source of electricalcurrent not shown. I i

The bulb, 1, is filled with one of the rare gases such as neon,.hel-ium,argon, kryptonor xenon, or with mixtures of these highl con-- ductlvegases at a suitable pressure. ere certain color efiects are desiredmercury vapor may also be mixed by adding a drop of mercury within thebulb. When current is turned on, a discharge takes place from elec-'trode, 2, through sleeve, 4, and bending through the elbow, 6, passesinto sleeve, 5, to electrode, 3. Accordingly when the beam thrown fromthe opening of the elbow in the direction of the dotted line to the eyeof an observer at a is of very great intensity for at that position theeye is' looking lengthwise of theara.

Fig. 11 utilizes the same principle of pre senting this longitudinalbeam to the desired"- spot but less erfectly thanFig. I. The in-\dicating numbers in the drawings show the V same arrangement ofelectrodes, 2 and3, in y theirsleeves, 4 and 5, and connected'withanexternal sourcewf electrical current by "the leads, 8 and 9, sealedthrough the press 10 of the stem, 11. A ve important difference lies,however, in that or the elbow, 6,: of Fig. I, a capillary tubing, 6, ofpyrex, silica, or the like, bent into the form of a rather sharp y issubstituted. This capillary. tube, 6, is sealed: to the sleeve, 4, bythe cement, 7, but is merely 1 inserted into the up er end of sleeve,"5, at 5 12, and not sealed t ere. The gas enclosed within the bulb1, has, therefore, free access- I to both electrod es thro h the openingin the manner described in the applicatib of Zeus and Albert, erial No.367,690, herelnabove referred 1T7"; I Accordingly in the form of thedevice, shown in Fig. II thedischarge passes from,

one electrode tothe other through the capil lary, 6, and the eyepositioned at a 1001225 9 211611 the dotted line to the point of V shacap: ary, 6, perceives a very brilliant point of hght. The beam sothrown from the capil;

lary, 6, of F H, is somewhat less brilliant 4..

than "that thrown from the elbow, 6,;of

I, for the reason that the V shaped capillary does not present the arcin exactly a longitudinal beam along the line a.

In using the device for a television lamp 6 the beam along the line ashould be directed to the televisor and the lass bulb of the lamp may bemirrored or ot erwise obscured except at the point where this beampasses through the glass. At this point a window 10 may be left open.

Having thus described my invention what I claim is -1. A glow dischargevacuum tube comprising an envelope; electrodes operatively supportedtherein; and means for guiding the glow discharge comprisin tubes, onefor each electrode, said tubes contaming the electrodes at one end andbeing open-mouthed at the other end, the mouths of said tubes beingjuxtaposed to deliver into each other, one of said tubes having aportion thereof adjacent its mouth directed endwise to the wall of thecontainer so that the glow discharge therein is viewable end-on throughsaid wall.

2. A glow discharge vacuum tube comprising an envelope; electrodesoperatively supported therein; and means for guiding the glow dischargecomprising tubes, one for each electrode, said tubes containing theelectrodes at one end and being open-mouthed at the other end, themouths of said tubes being juxtaposed to deliver at right angles intoeac other, the mouth of one of said tubes being directed to the wall ofthe container so that the glow discharge therein is viewable end-onthrou h said wall. 7

3. glow discharge vacuum tube comprising an envelope; electrodesoperatively supported therein; and means for guiding the 49 glowdischarge comprising adjacent tubes, one for each electrode, said tubescontaining the electrodes at one end and bein 0 enmouthed at the otherend, the free en 0 one of said tubes consisting of a'straight length oftubin extending transversely over to the other tu e with the mouthsofsaid tubes brought into juxtaposition to deliver into each other saidtransversely extending straight len h of tube being directed endwisetoward the wall of the container so that the glow dischargf therein isviewable end-on through said wa 4. The glow discharge vacuum tube of anyof the preceding claims further characterized by the envelope beingnon-transparent to the glow discharge except for atransparent spot inline with said discharge when viewed endon as aforesaid.

In witness whereof, I have subscribed my so name hereto this 30th day ofOctober, 1929.

FREDERICK W. ZONS.

